Football
Features
49ers ready to help Leeds United become “more of a global force”
NFL team the San Francisco 49ers are ready to play an active role in helping Leeds United become a Premier League force both on and off the field following the club's promotion to English soccer's top flight. SportBusiness speaks to 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe.
Anthony Goddard & Gareth Smith | Sport bounces back on TV
Publicis Sport & Entertainment’s Anthony Goddard, head of media research, and Gareth Smith, media research manager, explain why the post-lockdown period has seen unprecedented and consistently high audiences for Sky Sports in the UK
Football Kenya celebrates KPL’s bumper BetKing title sponsorship
The president of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), Nick Mwendwa has suggested gambling firm BetKing’s new title sponsorship deal for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) can help the competition move past p…
“There’s a value opportunity” | Why investors are circling Serie A
As Serie A weighs up six proposals from private investors, Ben Marlow, managing director, Asia Pacific, for football consultancy firm 21st Club, explains the sudden interest in the league and tells editorial…
Serie A | Can new investors wake football’s sleeping giant?
Ben Marlow, managing director of 21st Club in Asia Pacific, looks at the rise and fall of Italian Serie A, and considers the ways in which the league can rise once again
Globo suffers latest media-rights decree defeat as court sides with Turner
Brazilian media group Globo has been handed its latest legal defeat after a court ruling was handed down permitting rival pay-television broadcaster Turner to exploit the PM984 media-rights decree to air…
AC Milan signs Banco BPM as first independent women’s team front-of-shirt sponsor
AC Milan has signed up Italian bank Banco BPM as the front-of-shirt sponsor of its women's team
West Ham United Women sign sock tie sponsorship with Bartercard
Premier League club West Ham United has signed up trading platform business trading platform Bartercard as a sponsor of its women's team
Premier League ‘mulls options after PPTV attempts renegotiation’
The English Premier League is assessing its options after its rights-holding broadcaster in China, streaming platform PPTV, is reported to have failed to make a rights-fee payment due earlier this year
Phil Carling | The Rise of Liverpool – From Super Club to Super Brand
Phil Carling, head of football at the Octagon agency, explains why the brand positioning of Premier League winners Liverpool as a club where ‘This Means More’ is key to unlocking its commercial potential
Doug Harmer | FFP: Strong leadership is now required by Uefa
In light of the recent developments concerning CAS's decision to overturn Uefa’s two-year Champions League ban on Manchester City, Doug Harmer, partner at Oakwell Sports Advisory, discusses the role of Uefa and navigating the fiscal challenges of a post-lockdown world
How Kevin Durant and Philadelphia Union both stand to benefit from NBA player’s minority stake
Philadelphia Union majority owner Jay Sugarman and Durant's business manager Rick Kleiman tell SportBusiness why Brooklyn Nets forward's investment in MLS team will be mutually beneficial and explain how the deal came about.
Jair Bolsonaro’s swipe at Globo injects yet more uncertainty into Brazilian football
The business of Brazilian club football is a minefield at the best of times, but a temporary change to the law by the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro has made it even trickier, especially for dominant media giant, Globo.
Simon Oliveira | Football without fans is nothing, until it becomes everything
Simon Oliveira, founder and managing director of KIN Partners, discusses how Covid-19 has forced a radical rethink in the relationship between clubs, leagues, broadcasters, players and fans
Building brand Vinícius | How Mediacom will market Brazil’s next superstar
After signing young Brazilian footballer Vinícius Jr. on a long-term management deal, Mediacom’s Misha Sher explains how the company wants to build him into a strong, culturally relevant and global brand that becomes an enterprise in its own right Kevin Roberts reports.
Matthew Glendinning | Reports of FFP’s demise after City ruling are exaggerated
Matthew Glendinning, editor of SportBusiness Sponsorship, believes Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules will survive even after the Court of Arbitration for sport overturned the governing body's competition ban on Manchester City.
Protracted return for professional sport in China
Tom King looks at how China is getting its sporting calendar back on track, and how the global health crisis has affected some of the weaker industry players in the country.
United Soccer League ready to lay down “bold” marker with local market strategy
USL executive vice president Court Jeske speaks to SportBusiness about the opportunities and challenges of the USL Championship's return in home venues amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asia-Pacific industry reacts to the award of the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Asia-Pacific sports industry insiders react to the award of the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup to Australia and New Zealand.
Sportfive focused on sponsorship for Asia-Pacific growth in new era
Adrian Staiti, head of Apac and global sales at Sportfive, explains how the agency will move forward in the region in its post-AFC rights era and under new ownership.
“We’re number 1 on the pitch and we want to be as good commercially” | Manu Leroy, Belgian FA
In the latest of our series of video interviews, the Belgian FA's director of marketing, Manu Leroy, describes how a new digital approach to sponsorship is helping the organisation to profit from the unprecedented success of its men's national team.
Rise of the Red Devils drives new Belgian FA partnership strategy
SportBusiness looks at the new commercial strategy of Royal Belgian Football Association, after seeing Belgium's national football team rise from #66 in Fifa’s ranking to the top of the world.
DDMC Fortis becomes FMA and remains bullish as AFC project enters ‘operational’ phase
Football Marketing Asia CEO Patrick Murphy explains the rebrand of his agency and the change of gear within the business this year, and provides a progress report on its Asian Football Confederation project.
Japanese sport sets out on the long road back
Japan’s biggest domestic sports league, Nippon Professional Baseball, commenced its 2020 season on June 19 following a three-month delay due to Covid-19.
George Cullen | The voice of the athlete has changed forever – and it’s never been so important
George Cullen, account manager at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, applauds a dramatic shift in the influence of sports people to affect social change – with implications for brands and rights-holders
“It’s like having a Summer Olympics” | Orlando prepares for the arrival of NBA and MLS
Florida city ready to capitalize on its position as the epicenter of professional sports in the US this summer to rejuvenate its tourism industry and secure major sporting events. Bob Williams reports
LaLiga’s Chinese JV focuses on sponsorship, merchandising in push to become leading foreign football league
LaLiga is aiming to become the biggest overseas football league in China via its new joint-venture in the market with Mediapro and Super Sports Media, Sergi Torrents, the JV’s chief executive, told SportBusiness this week.
“Remind people that you’re part of their lives” – DDMC Fortis’s Ned Negus on sponsorship behind closed doors
Ned Negus, executive vice-president, partnerships, at DDMC Fortis spoke to SportBusiness about the challenge for the sponsorship sector posed by sport being played behind closed doors, and the Covid-19 crisis more broadly. He says there is a big opportunity for sponsors in being present as sport returns, helping to bring sport back into people's lives.